18th December 2024

18th December 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (John 1:4-5)


Message (Alan Burke)


John uses darkness not speak of night when the sun sets and you have to flick the light switch on, instead in John’s gospel darkness is evil, the darkness is unbelief, darkness speaks of the natural fallen condition of this world, darkness is the state of this world estranged from God. It is this darkness that led to the coming of our Lord Jesus, Jesus who was God and was with God came into the world, the one through whom all things were made, the one in whom was life and that life was the light of men came and shone in the darkness. 


In v5 in the NIV we are told that the darkness has not understood it that, referring of course to the Light the darkness has not understood the light or if you have a KJV before you you’ll read comprehend the light, I’m not sure what it would be for the darkness not to understand the light or not to comprehend the light. When we think of understood or comprehend, it is that the darkness didn’t understand the meaning. There are lots of times I’m left scratching my head, we all are when there is something that we do not understand, that we do not comprehend. But it wasn’t that the darkness did not understand, or comprehend the light, it’s something else.


The translators have made an interpretative decision that contextually makes sense with what follows, the darkness has not understood the light, v10 the light was not recognised, v11 nor was the light received.  Reading that way it makes sense contextually but there is another time that this same word is used in John’s gospel, the only time and it comes in John 12:35. Jesus speaking to his disciples said; “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you (Jn 12:35). There it is translated as overtake. 


The word in greek means to overpower, to gain control over, to overtake. The NIV I have before me has a wee letter ‘a’ after understood that refers to a footnote at the bottom of the page that gives the alternative, ‘overcome’ and it is what you will read if you have an ESV. Jesus is the light of the world, the light that shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it. It was the darkness that necessitated the coming of Jesus, to be born of the virgin Mary, it was darkness that led him on the road to Calvary, that say Jesus crucified and buried, yet the darkness has not overcome the light. The darkness that came into the world at the fall has not overcome the light. 


Today we might look at what is going on in this world, how wars rage it seems unabated, that humanitarian crises go on without a thought from the western world, vitally ignored by us, where abortion and assisted dying are seen as positive steps and worthy to be called health care, that sexual ethics don’t matter. We might think that things are going from bad to worse, like a tied of darkness that is engulfing the light, but the light will not be overcome. No matter how dark the darkness may seem the darkness has been defeated, the light of Christ Jesus shines in the darkness.


What we celebrate at this time of the year with the incarnation is that Jesus came into the world, he entered into it to overcome the darkness, he triumph over it. This time of year is much more than the virgin birth a little baby in a manger, than the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Joseph in a dream, it is much more than visit of the Magi months after the birth of Jesus. It is the coming of the light of the world, the one whom even though the darkness tried to overcome it, it could not, it could not and cannot extinguish the light, it has failed and God did all of this so that we who were in the darkness could come into the light, we could become children of light. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q64 What is required in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.
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